By: Saurabh Kapoor

"Puri is to India what Jerusalem was to the whole land of Israel. It is the Holy Land of the Hindus”, a noted scholar, David B Smith, wrote in his report on Pilgrimage to Juggernath in 1968. Puri offers a number of colourful fairs and festivals such as Chandan Yatra, Snan Yatra (Bath festival), Ganesh Puja, but it is the Car Festival (Rath Yatra ) that marks the climax. The annual Rathyatra of Puri in Orissa - an annual sojourn of the three deities riding their lofty chariots -is a centuries- old phenomenon that is the quintessential reiteration of faith and fantasy. The Yatra, that started on July 01 this year, sees the images of Lord Jagannath, his brother Balbhadra and sister Subhadra mounted on ceremonial chariots and taken out in a procession. The three chariots which are supposed to be drawn by horses are actually pulled by thousands of devotees. The Yatra is a round trip from the main temple to another nearby temple where the idols of the deities rest for seven days before their return to the main temple. The Jagannath Temple:
The vast temple complex occupies an area of over 400,000 square feet, and is bounded by a 20 feet high fortified wall. This complex contains about 120 temples and shrines. The shikhara of the Jagannath temple towers to a height of 192 feet. Structurally the temple has four chambers. The outermost is the Bhogmandir, the next is the Nata-mandir pillared hall for music and dance, the next is the Jagamohana - or the mandapa where devotees gather for worship and the last is the sanctum or the Deul enshrining the deities. The temple was originally built by the Kalinga ruler Anantavarman Chodaganga (1078 - 1148 AD). Much of the present structure was built by King Ananga Bhima Deva in the year 1174 AD. It took 14 years to complete and was consecrated in 1198 AD. It is believed that the image of Lord Jagannath was buried thrice in the Chilka lake for protection from invaders. Interestingly, the wooden images being worshipped are renewed during special occasions. New images have been installed in 1863, 1893, 1931, 1950, 1969 and 1977.
History of the Festival
One of the seven main Hindu festivals, Lord Jagannath`s Rath Yatra has been celebrated for more than 800 years or so and it occurs just before the monsoons in the Hindu month of Ashada. Lord Jagannath is considered as the Lord of the Universe and the town of Puri is considered as a holy pilgrim place as it is the abode of Lord Jagannath. According to an ancient legend, King Indrayumna wanted to build a temple of Lord Vishnu and for this purpose he consulted Vishvakarma, who was the architect of the Gods. Vishvakarma agreed to build the temple on the condition that no one would watch him or see the temple being built until it was completely ready. However King Indrayumna, being extremely curios went and visited the architect at work. Vishvakarma became very angry and he left in a hurry, thus leaving the images incomplete without any hands or feet. The King begged for forgiveness, however Vishvakarma refused to continue his work. Indradyumna had ordered the construction of a temple to house the statue. So he ordered his chariot to transport the statue, as it was, to the temple. There, Lord Brahma came to his rescue and breathed life into the limbless images of Balaram, Subhadra and Lord Jagannath. This, however, is not the only myth about the origin of the festival.There are other stories too. It is also believed that Lord Jagannatha once expressed his desire to visit his birthplace every year for a week. Accordingly, the deities are taken to the Gundicha Mandir every year. According to another legend, Subhadra wanted to visit Dwarka, her parent`s home, and her brothers took her there on this day. The Yatra is a commemoration of that visit. The Bhagavad Purana says that it was on this day that Krishna and Balarama went to Mathura to participate in a wrestling competition, at Kansa`s invitation. The Chariots
On the day of the Rath Yatra the idols of Lord Jagannath, his brother Balaram and sister Subhadra are placed in huge chariots. These three idols are made of neemwood and their faces are beautifully painted. Each deity has its own massive chariot, which are replicas of the temple. Jagannatha`s chariot, Nandighosha, is yellow in color, 45 ft high and has 16 wheels, each one seven feet in diameter. About 4,200 devotees draw the chariot. Balabhadra`s chariot is called Taladhvaja, is blue in color and has 14 wheels. Subhadra`s chariot is the smallest, with 12 wheels and is called Deviratha. All the chariots have huge canopies with shimmering silks and satins. The chariots are decorated with flowers of all colours. They are then pulled by thousands of devotees from the main temple to another temple called Gundicha Mandir. The Rituals

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The colourful festival begins when the three deities- Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra- are brought from the sanctum sanctorum of the 12th century Shree Mandir –the Jagannath Temple in a spectacular procession called "pahandi". The pahandi of Lord Jagannath is marked by weird frenzy of surging masses of pilgrims who pounce upon Him to have an embrace or at least to have a touch of Him. At least once in a year Lord Jagannath is accessible to all. Soon after all the deities are seated in their respective chariots surmounted by decorated pavilions, starts the Chhera Pahanra, the ritual of sweeping of the chariots with a golden broom by the Gajapati King of Puri, the foremost servant of Lord Jagannath. The most exciting part of the festival is the pulling of the chariots and it begins as soon as the Cheera Pahanra is over. The assembled devotees jostle each other to pull the Rath of Lord Jagannath , literally the lord of universe and fulfill their lifetime dream. The chariots after rolling on a few yards grind to a halt and the Dahuka or the charioteers start singing titillating songs in a hoarse voice. This is a unique aspect of the journey that unless the charioteers sing bawdy songs, the chariots would not move. Amidst such practice the chariots again roll on the Bada Danda - the grand road leading to Shree Gundicha Temple - popularly known as or ‘Mausima Temple’ (maternal auntie’s place) -the destination of the deities. After reaching the Gundicha Temple the deities rest for a night on their respective chariots adorned with ‘Dasaavatara’ costumes. They enter the temple next morning in the usual pahandi style and stay there for seven days. Goddess Laxmi - wife of Lord Jaganath- who naturally gets angry for being left out at the Shree Mandir or the Jagannath Temple, proceeds to the Gundicha temple to meet her Lord Jagannath on Hera Panchami, the 5th day of the Rath Yatra. After stealing a look at her Lord, she returns to the temple, damaging a part of the Jagannath’s chariot in anger and disgust. Following the seven-day sojourn at the garden house, the deities embark on a return journey known as the ‘Bahuda Yatra’. On His way back, Lord Jagannath stops for a while at Ardhasini Temple to accept His favourite rice cake called ‘poda pitha’. The deities after reaching at the Lion’s Gate of the temple again remain seated on their chariots. On the next day, before their entrance in to the sanctum sanctorum of the Shree Mandir, they are dressed in costumes of glittering gold ornaments known as ‘Suna Vesha’. In the spell of festivities, Lord Jagannath forgets the solemn promise of returning on the sixth day, which he had given to His consort Laxmi. Having gone back on the promise He alongwith His elder brother, Balabhadra and younger sister, Subhadra, pay a price. On reaching the Lions’ Gate they find the temple doors slammed. Like a human being here, He gets into a verbal duel- a lively repartee that engages the divine couple for about half an hour. Then follows the reconciliation . All the three deties then enter into the Shree Mandir adorn their Simhasans- thus and bringing the nine-day festival to an end. Lord Jagannath Yatra is a festival of faith. It captures the devotion and fervour of those who believe. The day of the procession is a public holiday in the state. Children are seen on the streets carrying miniature versions of the chariots with tiny idols installed on them. Shops and houses are decorated with flowers, lights and rangoli. Special dishes and sweets are prepared. Most people refrain from eating non-vegetarian food. As this festival falls during the monsoon season, people also thank the Gods for their mercy and bounty, by participating in the procession.
The Jagannath Cult

More than anything else the Rath Yatra is an occasion for the Lord to be in His true "Ganadevata" form. Jagannath transcends all section of beliefs symbolising secularism. He is truly a god of the masses. During the car festival, He mingles with the masses and is even physically embraced by all irrespective of any distinction. The oneness of God with the devotees is the core of Jagannath cult. Lord Jagannath, the very source of existence for the Hindus in general and the Oriyas in particular, is never a sectarian deity. Beginning as a tribal god, He has in course of time become a part of the Aryan culture and has been held in high veneration by the Buddhists, the Jains, the Saivites, the Saktas, the Vaishnavites, the Ganapatyas and even by the Sikhs and the Muslims. Where else one can find a Hindu deity having a Muslim disciple- ‘Bhakta’ Salabega as one of His greatest devotee? People offer prayers by chanting Salabega’s devotional poetry. And those pilgrims who fail to enter into the Temple still remember another ‘Bhakta’ Dasia Bauri from one of the lowest castes. According to scriptures, Dasia Bauri,who was denied entry into the temple, stood before the Lions Gate holding a coconut, closed his eyes , and uttered ‘Hey Jagannath’. The Lord listened to his prayers .Dasia Bauri found himself empty-handed. God had accepted the offering, he is said to have exclaimed. The cult and the festival,thus, symbolizes an eternal celebration of the divine values of love, compassion and of equality and fraternity. The concept of a benevolent God descending from His eternal abode- The Ratna Singhasan - down to the public avenue to share the joys and suffering, trails and tribulations of the common folk - irrespective of caste, creed and religion- is indeed uncommon and amazing in the history of religious thought. The Jagannath culture is a unique unifying system that assimilated and incorporated in its fold the influences of divergent religious creeds and sects. Jagannath is the fountainhead of a consciousness, which cannot be confined within the limits of any traditional theological order. This consciousness is truly ineffable and despite decades of research and scholarly probing the origin and growth of Lord Jagannath is an enigma even today. Lord Jagannath`s message, however, is simple - Vasundhaiva Kutumbakam - which means the world is my family. This message of the Lord of the Universe is sincere and is all that we need to keep the world from breaking into pieces.